


closely distant

by iloveseiya



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Day 1, Distance, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hopefully some feels, Idiots in Love, Leokasa Week, M/M, Quarantine, a lot of silliness, but it's mostly just to keep them at home, social distancing, very vague references to irl world events
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:00:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23736499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iloveseiya/pseuds/iloveseiya
Summary: Maybe the situation wasn’t ideal, but he could of think of a lot of worse outcomes than getting to spend his time with the person he loved the most in the whole world.
Relationships: Suou Tsukasa/Tsukinaga Leo
Comments: 10
Kudos: 44
Collections: Leokasa Week





	closely distant

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this last month (back before my block became worse) as a way to cope with the quarantine, but it was mostly an excuse to write mindless leokasa fluff...and since I had it almost ready I thought i might as well post it for the week! Pls don't focus too much on the technicalities of it and enjoy it (hopefully!)

_“Social distancing?”_ Leo repeated, not because he couldn't understand Tsukasa's perfect english pronunciation. 

Tsukasa nodded from where he was picking up Leo's discarded music papers from the floor. 

He had patiently waited until Leo was done composing to inform him. 

Talking to him before had been completely useless, even if the matter was serious, so Tsukasa waited… And waited, because that's what he always did for his beloved, no matter how difficult it got. 

Waiting for each other was one of the vows they exchanged when Tsukasa accepted Leo's clumsy, but heartfelt proposal. 

Back then, Leo knelt before Tsukasa, ring in hand, and swore his oath of lifelong devotion to him, taking Tsukasa completely by surprise. 

No matter how much Tsukasa tried to verbalize the intensity of what he was feeling, he couldn't say anything for several minutes. 

The clock tickled by and Leo's face grew more confused and worried by the second, so Tsukasa gathered himself enough to hug him tight, tears in his eyes, saying _“_ _Yes, I do”_ when his throat opened up again, as Leo's own droplets wetted his pristine white button down. 

That happened right before they started living together over a year ago, so Tsukasa waited, even if it meant having to suppress his own worries for hours before he could share them with his partner. 

“It means we should avoid close contact. Considering you flew back from overseas just yesterday…” Tsukasa trailed off, picking up the last music sheets and holding them at a distance. He'd normally squeeze them against his chest and Leo liked watching that inconsequential gesture because it showed how much Tsukasa treasured his work, his songs, Leo himself.

He knew every part of him was safe in Tsukasa's capable hands. 

“But I feel fine, I passed all the controls in the airport!”

“Still, we better be cautious, don't you think?” Tsukasa interjected, “We'll keep up the social distancing between us for two weeks, just to be sure.”

“Two weeks?!”

It seemed kinda excessive, but in the end Leo agreed, still not quite understanding what the term meant. 

Whatever this social distancing was, he was certain a genius like him could handle it, his head was just a bit muddled from composing from dawn to dusk, judging by the sunset light that bathed their living room. 

He got up from his crouching position on the floor and faced Tsukasa, who took a few steps back automatically. Leo frowned and walked closer, but Tsukasa stepped back again. 

“Huh?”

“Social distancing, remember?” Tsukasa met Leo's eyes calmly and then walked into the kitchen, “What do you want for dinner?”

Leo scowled at Tsukasa's back and muttered: “When I was in Europe I really missed udon” but meant something closer to _I missed you_ , even though those words remained lodged in his throat.

“Okay.” Tsukasa said without turning back, “I'm going to order in, wait for a bit.”

Leo suddenly felt detached from everything, as if he was living an out of body experience. 

_What is going on?_

*

They ate dinner together, but on opposite sides of the room. 

Leo, used to his knees knocking against Tsukasa’s under the table, and who absolutely loved tangling their legs and feet together whenever possible, glowered at the chopsticks in his hands.

“Is it not to your liking?” Tsukasa asked, noticing Leo's dissatisfaction. 

“Yes, I hate it!” Leo screamed frustrated and Tsukasa raised his brows.

“I can order something else if you want…”

“No! Not the udon...The udon is good, _great_ even, but I hate this social distancing thing or whatever. I haven’t been with Suo~ for over a month because of work and now I can’t even get close to you! It’s torture!”

Tsukasa sighed and wiped the angle of his mouth with a napkin in a precise and elegant gesture.

“Leo-san, did you forget I’m experiencing the same things as you? Do you think I like this?”

“No, but...it’s different for you.” 

They both knew Leo was the more touchy-feely of the two, the one who constantly craved physical closeness. Tsukasa indulged Leo happily most of the time, unless he was mad at him for some reason, but he valued the moments in which they could communicate freely so much more, it just was difficult to do that when one of them was feeling cranky. 

“I’m working from home so I could keep you company, since you have to stay inside for 14 days!” Tsukasa explained, “I did it to be with you!”

“I know!” Leo exclaimed, “But I want to kiss you, to hold you and take you on dates and I can’t do any of that here! It sucks!”

Tsukasa was as red as his hair on the other side of the table and Leo decided to take that as his small reward. This whole situation sucked, but Tsukasa’s cute blush was one of the most precious sights he had ever laid eyes on. 

Leo knew Tsukasa had blushed when he had picked him up at the airport the previous day too but he hadn’t been able to see it then, since they were both wearing masks. 

Now that he had a first row seat to this spectacle, he knew he wouldn’t have given it up for the world.

“We can still do some of that,” Tsukasa suggested and when Leo started sparkling in anticipation he added, “I mean, we should refrain from the _hugging_ and _kissing_ part, but…”

“But?”

“We can still have _house dates_.”

That’s how Leo and Tsukasa found each other on the opposite ends of the couch, in front of their TV.

“It’ll be like going to the movies!” Tsukasa pointed out and they even dimmed the lights and prepared some popcorn to get into the right atmosphere.

Unfortunately for Leo, this was nothing like going to the movies. 

First of all, he couldn’t sneak his arm around Tsukasa’s shoulders and grin shamelessly when Tsukasa sent him a warning glare because he got distracted from the plot. 

Neither could Leo get lost in watching the movie reflected in Tsukasa’s big amethyst eyes, so expressive and soulful, as his expression shifted through millions of emotions.

Now Leo could only sulk and throw yearning glances to Tsukasa, curled on his own side of the sofa, his fingertips tingling with the need to embrace him.

Had their house always been so big? What was the point of owning such a big couch when it was just the two of them?

“Eyes on the movie, Leo-san,” Tsukasa suddenly interrupted their momentary silence, “How can this be a movie date if you don’t even watch it?”

Leo munched on a popcorn and turned back to their flatscreen: “It’s not like I need to follow the story, I already know who’s the culprit.”

Tsukasa frowned: “Impossible, everyone has a solid alibi, the _culprit_ has yet to be introduced.”

“Wahahaha! If you say so, Suo~”

They spent the next few moments in silence, watching the main character investigate the mysterious murder of a man in his fifties, until Tsukasa asked again: “I’ll bite, so who is it?”

“Just telling you wouldn’t be fun, right? Try to guess it by yourself!”

Tsukasa attacked the popcorn bowl and half emptied it in a few seconds: stress eating was his specialty when Leo frustrated him.

“Is it the _butler_?” Tsukasa asked.

“Pffft,” Leo snickered, “That’d be way too obvious, try again Suo~!”

“The scorned ex wife!”

“Nope, but she’s shady for other motives.”

“The illegitimate son!”

“Nah, not him.”

“It was the daughter who was having an _affair_ with the gardener or the gardener who killed the father so he could get married to the daughter!”

“Bzzz! Wrong, it’s neither of them.”

That’s how they watched the whole movie, with Leo teasing Tsukasa and the two of them bickering back and forth, until the culprit was revealed to be the illegitimate son’s mother, who had poisoned her ex lover because he didn’t want to include their son on his will.

“Wow! I didn't expect that!” Leo confessed.

“But you said you knew who it was from the beginning!”

“I was just messing around with you, Suo~”

For Leo’s impertinence, Tsukasa stood up and put the bowl of popcorn on his head with an audible bonk. Fortunately it was almost empty, so only a few popcorns fell on Leo and the couch when Tsukasa left to get ready for bed.

Leo picked them up, snickering, and followed him around their flat.

“I can’t wait to get a good rest in our bed, Suo~! Last night I couldn’t sleep because I had already slept on the plane but I need to get back on schedule now!”

“About that, Leo-san...we can’t sleep on the same bed, you know that, right?”

Leo stopped dead in his tracks in the middle of the hallway. 

“What?”

“ _Social distancing_ , remember? I already prepared the guest room bed for you.”

They only ever used the guest room for the occasional visits from their friends, but its original function was letting Tsukasa’s family think they each slept in their own room, so this would be the very first time it would be used for its intended purpose. 

“Nooooo!” Leo ran to their bedroom and plopped down on the bed, kicking and screaming on the duvet, “This is my bed too and I haven’t seen it for a month, I won’t budge!”

“Fine, I’ll sleep in the other room tonight.” Tsukasa conceded, shaking his head at his partner’s childish outburst.

“No!” Leo sat on the bed properly, “Fine, you take our bed, I’ll take the futon.”

“Why would you sleep in a futon when there’s a bed ready for you?”

“I want to sleep in the same room as Suo~!” Leo cried out. 

No matter how smart and clever Tsukasa was, he could really be an oblivious idiot when it came to matters of the heart. 

Leo still didn’t know how exactly Tsukasa had figured out his feelings for Leo and confessed to him before they both became old and grey, but regardless, he thanked his lucky stars every day for that miracle.

“Fine,” An exasperated but fond Tsukasa agreed, moving to take out Leo’s futon outside of their closet. 

They changed into their pajamas and settled in their respective beds, leaving only a faint light on Tsukasa’s nightstand.

“Are you ok with this?” Tsukasa asked, peering down at Leo on a futon a meter or so from the bed.

Leo nodded from where he was laying on his back. 

He had loosened his hair tie and now his ginger hair was spread around him like a true lion's mane.

“It’s fine, at least like this I can look at Suo~'s face before I fall asleep and in the morning.”

Tsukasa’s lips curled up in a pleased smile. “I’m happy Leo-san is next to me too.”

“Ahhh, this futon is very nostalgic,” Leo recalled, stretching out his arms. “Remember when we first got the house but we hadn’t assembled the bed yet?”

“Yes,” Tsukasa sighed dreamily, fondly remembering the first day of their cohabitation, the first time he called home something that wasn’t his family’s manor, the first night spent in the arms of the man he loved.

“We sure made a lot of good memories in here,” Leo smirked up at him and Tsukasa threw a pillow from Leo’s side of the bed directly on his face.

“Whoops, I forgot to _pass_ you that earlier.”

Leo laughed and put the pillow under his head as Tsukasa moved to turn off the light.

“Goodnight, Suo~”

“Goodnight, Leo-san.” Tsukasa closed his eyes, curling up in the position that let him stay as close as possible to Leo without falling off the bed, their rhythmic breaths lulling him to sleep.

*

Tsukasa had plenty of work related calls to make in the morning.

He had to manage Knight’s activities as well as monitor his family’s business and check in with Tenshouin-onisama, Tori-kun and Tomoe-san for any updates regarding Ensemble Square, so he woke up early, stepping past where Leo laid like a starfish on the futon, briefly adjusting the covers on him. 

After that Tsukasa was busy soaping up his hair, casually humming to Knights’ latest single, when he heard an unexpected knocking on the shower cabin. 

He jumped in surprise before he spotted Leo-san’s messy hair beyond the foggy glass. He quickly wiped it so he could actually see him a bit more clearly.

Leo had one hand pressed against the glass, his mischievous eyes flickering up to meet Tsukasa's. He silently encouraged Tsukasa to copy his gesture, so they were both pressing a hand against the other side of the glass, their engagement rings hitting the surface with a small clack, as if they were really touching.

They couldn't be seen with matching rings in public, because their engagement was still a secret to anyone except for his beloved Knights senpai, so somehow Tsukasa was glad they finally had the chance to wear them at least in private. 

They looked at each other: Tsukasa completely wet with suds on his head and shoulders, Leo dry and still ruffled from a good night's sleep. Even if it seemed like they both belonged in different worlds, separated by a barrier that didn’t let them connect, in that moment Tsukasa felt closer to Leo than ever before.

Tsukasa really wished he could say no, wished he could keep his composure, but he let himself be swayed by those playful jade eyes that languidly closed themselves, prompting Tsukasa to do the same.

It was hard to resist those long eyelashes and pursing lips; they reeled him in like a siren’s call, enticing him to get closer and closer. Before Tsukasa knew it, they kissed through the glass. 

It was nothing like the real deal: nothing like the times when Leo’s full lips pressed against his, hot and electrifying all over, igniting a fire inside Tsukasa. And yet, despite the cold glass, Tsukasa felt that same warmth he remembered glow inside him, strong and unchanged.

Tsukasa reopened his eyes, heart racing, and his gaze met Leo’s again. His fiancè was smiling, a faint blush up to his ears, and his fingers bumped against the shower glass, as if to bop Tsukasa on the nose and leave him to his shampoo, while Leo attended his other business in the bathroom.

Day 2 of the non-touching rule, they could do this…

Right?

*

Two days later, Tsukasa had just finished a conference call on his laptop and he was writing down his next appointments, when he heard his phone ring up again.

This time, it was Leo.

“What is it?” Tsukasa cut short, he didn’t understand why Leo had called him when they were stuck in such close quarters in their respective studio rooms. 

To be more precise, Tsukasa didn’t even know if anyone else could really call Leo’s room a proper studio: it looked more like a crazy scientist’s lab.

It was a soundproof space full of expensive recording tech, monitors, instruments, microphones, amplifiers, old vinyl records and music scores scattered all over the floor. Under Tsukasa’s insistence, in the corner there was also a small always stocked fridge and a couch where Leo could rest sometimes in between composing, but most of the time Tsukasa didn’t even dare to set foot in it, if not to tell Leo to come out. 

“Suo~, I’m bored!” Leo’s voice resounded from the phone.

Tsukasa sighed. He knew Leo would’ve made this harder than it should’ve been. Since he was such a free spirit, being cooped up inside for long periods of time didn't suit him. 

That had been part of the reason why Tsukasa had chosen to stay home and keep him company, as much as his work allowed. That and, of course, the fact that Tsukasa had missed him terribly when he was away during the previous month.

“I know, Leo-san. If you have a bit of patience, I’m sure-”

“No! I’m done, I’m going out and you can’t stop me!”

“Leo-san, you can’t!” Tsukasa protested amidst Leo’s mad laughter, “You’re supposed to stay inside!”

“Come and find me if you can! See ya’!”

Leo hung up the call and Tsukasa stared at his home screen, baffled.

He sent a quick mail to his business partners, redirecting them to his secretary, and he ran to check if Leo had been telling the truth or was just messing with him.

When Tsukasa peeked inside the studio, he confirmed that Leo wasn’t there anymore and that he had left his phone behind so Tsukasa wouldn’t be able to track him.

“ _Jesus Christ_!” he shouted in the empty flat. As spacious as it was, it wasn’t big enough to echo it back to him.

As expected, Leo wasn’t in any other room, but before Tsukasa could leave the house, wearing his coat and picking up Leo’s so he could give it to him, since he had apparently forgotten it, he found a message taped on their front door.

_‘Are you ready for an adventure? Follow the map that leads to the secret treasure!’_

Under Leo’s messy handwriting, there was a very convoluted map drawn with several stops along the way to pick up more clues that lead to the supposed treasure location. Tsukasa face palmed, but since the map was the only way to find Leo, he decided to properly follow it so he could scold Leo and drag him back home once he finally found him.

He stepped outside and found the first clue on the stairs that led down the first floor of their apartment complex: it contained a musical score and Tsukasa wished he’d have more time to properly appreciate the song that was written on it, but he just turned the page around in hurry to find the next clue. 

He was led to a plant on the staircase landing on the third floor and he was silently relieved that Leo hadn’t just escaped in the streets and he had somehow respected the house confinement.

Tsukasa ran up the stairs, short of breath, but as much as he was frustrated and wanted to find Leo as soon as possible, he was somehow still glad for the exercise he was getting out of it. 

A voice that suspiciously sounded like Sena-senpai in his head reminded him that Knights might be taking a small break after their last album release, but that wasn’t an excuse to slack off from their regular training.

Tsukasa made his way up, picking up notes and scattered music scores. Some of the papers were hidden under their neighbors doormats and Tsukasa really hoped none of them had seen him lurk around like a burglar or he’d never be able to face them again.

The last clue was a simple ‘open it’ post it on the door to their rooftop and Tsukasa pushed through it with all of his strength, holding onto the music sheets and Leo’s jacket.

A gush of wind greeted him once he stepped on the terrace and there he found Leo, sitting on a blanket, with a picnic basket next to him, lazily bathing under the spring sun like a cat.

“Leo-san!” Tsukasa hoped he sounded just as angry as he felt, but it was impossible to restrain his obvious affection and the relief he always felt when he found him again.

“Suo~, you took your sweet time, it’s chilly out here!”

Muttering curses in english, Tsukasa rushed to Leo’s side to hand him his jacket, so he could shield himself from the impetuous wind.

Leo wore it immediately and scooted back to let Tsukasa sit on the blanket at the proper distance, securing the sheets under the basket so they wouldn’t fly away. 

“And whose fault is that? You ran away and you didn’t even bring a jacket with you! You’re so _incorregible_ and _irresponsible_!” Tsukasa said, plopping down.

“So noisy!” Leo said plugging up his ears while Tsukasa ranted at him, “It’s fine, it’s fine! You said we could have house dates so that’s what I’m doing, let’s have a pic-nic!”

Tsukasa settled down more comfortably, kneeling in seiza style, while Leo sat cross legged and presented him with the basket:

“Tada! This is the treasure waiting for you!”

“This is the treasure?” Tsukasa asked, blinking confusedly. “But I thought-” 

_I thought my treasure was you._

Tsukasa clamped down his lips, feeling his cheeks color when he registered what he had been about to say.

Leo scrutinized him, puzzled, until the realization hit him too, making him blush as well.

“Jeez, Suo~!” Leo hid his face trying to suppress his huge grin. The small embedded ruby on his engagement ring, just like Tsukasa's amber one, twinkled in the sun. “Just how much do you like me!”

Tsukasa wanted to hide out of embarrassment too, but a long time ago he had decided his place was by Leo’s side, through thick and thin, so there was no point in running away from his feelings anymore.

“I like Leo-san a lot…” the words flowed out of him like an avalanche, gaining momentum the more he talked, “ _I love you_ a lot...that’s why, please don’t go away like that, you give me a heart attack every time you disappear...”

“Hey!” Leo acted almost like he wanted to pick a fight, but he sounded way too satisfied to be actually mad. “Look who’s talking about giving innocent people heart attacks! It’s not fair for you say stuff like that when I can’t even show you how much I love you!”

Tsukasa couldn’t stand looking at Leo anymore: his chest swelled up in happiness and was now so full it could burst, but there was no way he could keep his cool if the conversation went on. 

If it wasn’t fair for Tsukasa to say those embarrassing things, then Leo wasn’t either. 

It’s not like he was the only one missing their skinship.

“Anyway!” Tsukasa said, gritting his teeth through the awkwardness while Leo laughed at his obvious effort of changing topics. “What did you bring for lunch?”

“Look here, Suo~! I made sandwiches for us!”

Leo dug in the pic-nic basket and took out two messily packed sandwiches, giving one to Tsukasa.

Tsukasa looked at the sandwich suspiciously but he graciously took it. 

Neither of them were that good at cooking, but they could usually manage to fix themselves something simple on a daily basis. 

On special occasions, Tsukasa loved cooking with Leo when they attempted some fancy recipes under the guidance of Sena-senpai, Narukami-senpai and Ritsu-senpai. 

The problem was that Leo usually started eating everything before they could set up the table, which defeated the purpose of a romantic candlelight dinner. More often than not they either ordered something in or had one of Tsukasa’s house staff drop by to prepare them a big meal.

A sandwich couldn’t be that difficult to make, right?

Tsukasa decided to go for it and took a bite out of the bread, relishing in the perfect crunch of the salad as he chewed it.

“Delicious!” Tsukasa admitted, surprising even himself.

“Right?!” Leo accepted the praise confidently, swallowing his own bite, “This is nice, isn’t it?”

Tsukasa observed the sun and the few clouds above them: their apartment complex was high enough it could offer them an extensive panorama of the city buildings and natural sights. 

Maybe the situation wasn’t ideal, but he could of think of a lot of worse outcomes than getting to spend his time with the person he loved the most in the whole world. As funky and irritating as Leo-san was, he knew there was no getting bored with him.

Sure, they couldn’t cuddle for warmth in the early spring day, and neither Leo would be able to use Tsukasa’s lap as his usual pillow - never missing a chance to tease Tsukasa about the plumpness of his tights - but there was something to say about the excitement he felt when they stole long glances at each other from a distance. 

It was like jumping back in the past, back in high school when they still hadn't figured out their mutual feelings, except this time they knew there was a brighter tomorrow waiting for them.

They finished their sandwiches, talked about every single detail that came to their minds, and even sang Leo’s newest song together from the music sheets he left as clues in the treasure hunt. 

The other members’ parts still had to be refined, but Tsukasa loved the way their two voices harmonized together and he couldn’t wait until they all could sing it together as Knights.

After that, Tsukasa stood up, dusting off his pants and telling Leo that they should pack up their belongings and head back down. 

Leo interrupted him, taking out of the basket a slice of strawberry shortcake from Tsukasa’s favorite bakery.

“How-” he knew his eyes were shining and that Leo was looking at nothing but him, but he didn’t see any reason to hold back. He wanted Leo to know just how much joy his thoughtfulness brought to him.

“I ordered it earlier, you were so distracted by your work that you didn’t even notice it.” Leo shrugged, “You wanna try it?”

“ _Yes_!” Tsukasa held out his palms to take the cake.

“I’m not sure if I should be offended that you didn’t even say yes that fast when I proposed to you.” Leo mused, keeping the slice of cake away from Tsukasa’s eager hands.

“That-that was different!” Tsukasa justified himself.

“How?” Leo asked, a playful glint dancing in his eyes.

“I was wondering if it was okay, you know?”

Leo didn’t say anything, but his expression suddenly appeared more sober. The wind swept through his bangs and ponytail, swinging it back and forth, as he waited for Tsukasa to elaborate.

“I was wondering if it was okay for me to be that happy, for my whole life, with you…” Tsukasa gulped down in front of the depth of Leo’s insistent stare, remembering how the prospect of a shared future had both elated and terrified him back then. 

“That’s why I couldn’t say yes so fast…”

“You’re so sneaky Suo~” Leo smirked but there wasn’t any malice in it, “Buttering me up with such beautiful words, when in reality you’re only thinking about eating this cake, huh?”

Tsukasa shook his head fondly, knowing that Leo had understood just how serious he was, but chose to play along to keep the light atmosphere: “Well, did it work?”

“Yes, you’re a good boy so you’re getting the side with the biggest strawberry.”

“ _Marvelous!_ ”

*

“Ugh, I hate not being able to go outside,” Leo complained watching the view outside of their window, summarizing briefly the last few days. 

“It reminds me of when I locked myself into my room and wouldn’t come out. I made Ruka-tan so sad...I bet she’s sad now too, because we can’t meet up.”

“You video called her earlier for 3 hours.” Tsukasa pointed out.

“That’s still not enough!”

Tsukasa shook his head, but he understood what Leo felt: that’s why they also spent hours almost every day video calling the other Knights, integral parts of their family. 

What he was most curious about, though, was listening to Leo open up about that period of his life. 

To this day, the only things Tsukasa knew about the past were what his senpai had shared with him in high school. 

Sure, Leo would say something about it every now and then, but he said it so flippantly and out of nowhere, it almost seemed like it was just a random anecdote that didn't even happen to him, and he’d clam up or be super vague about it whenever Tsukasa asked him directly.

“You can tell me.” Tsukasa offered again as he calmly sipped his royal milk tea, “I know you think that whatever happened back then would make me hate you, but that’s impossible. I wasn’t even able to hate you when you couldn’t remember my name.”

Leo smiled, gaze fixed outside, “I just don’t see the point of talking about what I was like before I met you, I’m not that kind of person anymore.”

Just like Tsukasa’s life had been inevitably changed by the moment he became a knight and met his Leader, he knew the same had happened to Leo. Maybe it was true; there wasn’t a need to dwell about the past now. 

Still, he wanted Leo to know that Tsukasa would be there for him no matter what.

“You’re not alone anymore.” Tsukasa reminded him. There wasn't any pity in his voice, just a straightforward approach he hoped Leo would appreciate more. “We might be stuck here for the time being, but we’re not alone.”

“I know…” Leo said turning his back to the window and facing Tsukasa. The light from outside enveloped him like a halo. “Besides I’m too busy planning all the house dates I want to take you on to dwell about the past! Look forward to it, Suo~!”

Tsukasa smiled coyly from the edge of his cup: “I will, but please also find the time to work on the songs for our next album, Leo-san.”

“Roger!”

Maybe Tsukasa shouldn’t have been so careless with his words, because the next thing he knew, Leo-san build up a pillowfort in the middle of their living room, borrowing sheets and cushions from all over the house and not bothering to fix the chaos he left behind.

“Lea-Leo-san!” Tsukasa almost called Leo by his old nickname, because that would’ve been something the old Leo could’ve pulled without an ounce of regret. 

Now that he had matured into a mostly functional member of society, Tsukasa expected better from him.

“What are you doing!” He asked, kneeling at the entrance of the pillow fort.

Inside of it, Leo was happily composing lying down on a pile of cushions, illuminated by fairy lights.

“Oh Suo~! You can’t just come in like that, you need to request permission to enter the castle!”

“The castle?”

“The King’s castle!” Leo specified, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture and sprawling his music sheets everywhere, “Isn’t it beautiful? Wahahaha! ♪”

“Leo-san!” Tsukasa insisted because he was really upset, “Don’t try to pretend like you didn’t mess up our bedrooms just to create a blanket fort! You’re not a kid anymore!”

“Tsk, such a buzzkill! That’s no way to talk to your king...who are you, huh?”

“What-But you just said…” Tsukasa paused when he understood what Leo wanted from him, “I, Suou Tsukasa, king of Knights who usurped the former King and brought him to the guillotine, hereby request permission to enter!”

“Granted!”

Tsukasa went along with the farce and crawled through the small entrance. 

Once he was inside the 'castle', he sat down on a pillow that Leo not so elegantly threw towards him. 

So much for acting as the King...

“Now what is it that you want from the old king, Suou Tsukasa! Are you here to kill me again?” 

“No,” Tsukasa said, not quite understanding if Leo was dead or alive in this scenario. “I just want to know why the old King acted so unreasonably!”

“You see…” Leo started, stroking a fake beard he didn’t have, “I did it out of love for my lover...He asked me to think about house dates but it’s proven to be really difficult, because we’re stuck at home and we can’t even touch for the time being...I thought a pillow fort would make him happy, but he’s mad at me again…”

Tsukasa looked at Leo and felt his resolve to argue with him completely melt away. No matter how ridiculous his ideas were, he couldn’t deny Leo’s only motive was trying to make these days more bearable for both of them.

“I have it on good authority that your lover isn’t mad at you anymore,” Tsukasa answered, speaking as the King again, meeting Leo’s hopeful glance, “He just wants to have your word, as the king, that you’ll make the beds again later.”

“Deal!”

They looked at each other, their smiles lit up by the fairy lights, and that’s how Leo’s impromptu fortress became a castle not just for one, but for two Kings. 

*

“Why are we doing this again?” Leo asked for the millionth time, perching on the armrest of their sofa, while Tsukasa sat at the low table in front of him. 

“We have an interview coming up with a foreign magazine and you were the one who asked me to tutor you in _english_.”

“Ahhh, it’s fine! I’m much better at it lately, ask Sena!”

“As a matter of fact, I did.” Tsukasa explained calmly like he was dealing with a three year old, “And last time you two were interviewed in _Europe_ , he told me you felt inspired out of nowhere, leaving him to answer all the _questions_ in your place. Sena-senpai was really angry!”

“It’s fine, the journalist wasn’t interesting enough, but the pretty view from her office was a great stimulant for the brain!” Leo dismissed the accusations with a flick of the wrist, “Deep down Sena doesn’t really mind, he loves talking about himself.”

“If you say so.” Tsukasa raised an eyebrow, but didn’t bother contradicting him. “I made a list of all the possible question they might ask you this time, so you’ll know what to say and won’t get distracted.”

“As expected of Suo~!”

“Let’s start with some easy ones...Introduce yourself.”

“ _I'm Tsukinaga Leo, member of Knights!_ ”

Tsukasa smiled proudly, knowing all his previous tutoring lessons had worked. 

Leo’s accent was heavy and his english pronunciation still a bit clumsy, but he made up for it with his natural confidence and charm.

“ _Talk about your likes and dislikes._ ”

“Uhm... _I like making music and I dislike Beethoven!_ ” 

“Well that’s a sure way to create controversy…”

“What?” Leo was offended, “You want me to lie?”

“No,“ Tsukasa suggested, “Just try to find a _diplomatic_ way to express yourself...You never know how someone who doesn’t know you might take it.”

“Okay, okay” Leo agreed, “ _I like what I like and dislike what I dislike!_ You can’t be more diplomatic than this, right?”

“Leo-san!” Tsukasa slammed his hands on the table, “Please try to take this seriously!”

“Neeext question, _go! Go! Go!_ ” Leo made finger guns at him and Tsukasa sighed loudly and read the following one: “ _How did you and the other members get to know each other?_ ”

“ _We went to the same high school, Yumenosaki high school!_ ”

“Where do you find inspiration for your songs?”

“ _Anytime and anywhere, you just need to look for it and BAM! There it is! Other times it’s more difficult_ ”

“That was super vague,” Tsukasa grumbled.

“You said I just need to be diplomatic, right?" Leo replied nonchalantly. "Next question!”

Tsukasa blushed reading the next question, but he felt the need to rehearse it beforehand:

_“Do you have a lover?”_

_“Yes.”_

Tsukasa tried but failed to suppress the satisfaction he felt from hearing Leo acknowledge their relationship. Unfortunately, they both knew that if Leo admitted that in public, he would cause a big scandal.

“You should've said no.” Tsukasa reminded him softly.

“You like my answer though.” Leo could see through his mask of professionalism easily.

“That's true.” Tsukasa conceded. “But you're not supposed to please me, it's for our fans.”

“I wish I could do both.” Leo said wistfully.

“Me too.” Tsukasa mused, thinking about his family as well. 

There was another tricky question Tsukasa wanted to tackle in advance so he proceeded with his list: “ _What’s your type?_ ”

“ _Redhead, violet eyes, pretty face, pretty voice, sweet tooth, stubborn, kind, always takes care of me, loud in and outside of be-_ ”

“That’s too specific!” A flushed Tsukasa interrupted Leo before he could finish. 

“But you just said I shouldn’t be too vague.” Leo whined, though he knew exactly that he was riling up Tsukasa on purpose.

“You can be for this kind of question!”

“Okay, then…” Leo smirked, “ _Annoying but cute.”_

“Did you just call _me_ annoying?” Tsukasa was baffled. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

“Who says I was talking about you? I recently got a crush on a guy I met at work this week.”

Tsukasa saw red, a spike of jealousy hit him in the heart, piercing it in half. 

“Who’s this g-”

Wait a second...Leo spent almost 2 weeks stuck at home, working just a few meters away from him...

“Wahahaha! Your face was priceless, Suo~!” Leo was rolling on the couch laughing, “Did you get jealous? Were you scared?”

Tsukasa was ashamed of his blunder, but tried to keep his composure, coughing to clear up his tight throat: “Not at all, besides, if anyone ever tried to steal your heart, I’d just fight and win to get it back.”

Tsukasa looked up at Leo and the deep passion within his green eyes assured him there wasn’t any need to worry: Leo’s heart was secure with him.

*

“I can’t believe this is my last night in this futon!” Leo exclaimed from his usual nest next to their double bed. 

Keeping Leo's affectionate nature at bay hadn't been easy for either of them, but this was their 14th day of distancing and Tsukasa couldn't believe they actually made it. 

This was the longest amount of time, ever since they were just an unit leader and his newbie, that they had gone without touching each other at all.

Even before they had realized each other's feelings, it wasn't unusual for Leo to hug Tsukasa, to pat him on the head, or simply put his arms around his shoulders in a friendly gesture. As for Tsukasa, he was always running around to find Leo and drag him back to their studio, either by the scruff of his hoodie or by the hand. 

Up until now, he hadn't realized how vital the physical contact in their relationship was, and he would be lying if he didn't admit he was anticipating to the moment they didn't have to hold back anymore. 

Leo didn’t seem exhausted at all, unlike Tsukasa, who sank on the mattress gratefully, trying to stop his legs from shaking after an intensive workout, that turned into a full on dance practice, another one of Leo’s ideas for stay at home “dates”. 

Tsukasa had always loved learning dancing tips from Leo, ever since he was just a newbie, but keeping up with him was _hard_ , if not impossible. 

Leo had an aura, an energy about him that was mesmerizing to watch and even more difficult to replicate, especially on stage. But Tsukasa had realized a long time ago that he didn't want to be like him, he had his own path to follow. 

“Wah, you're already falling asleep Suo~, resist!” 

“I'm tired!” Tsukasa shoved his face in a pillow and then started mimicking Leo’s manner of speaking. “ _Move like this Suo~, raise your leg more, spin faster, jump higher, stick your chest out_...You took away 10 years of my life today, you know that?”

Leo’s genuine loud laughter filled the room and Tsukasa drank it like a thirsty man in the desert. Even if he got to hear it all day long, he could never get enough. Not that he’d ever admit that.

“Besides…” Tsukasa said after gathering up his courage, his cheeks burning in shame and anticipation. ”Shouldn’t you want me to rest so I can fully recover in time for tomorrow?”

He waited for Leo’s cheeky response to the vague allusion, but nothing came, except for calm, steady breaths. 

When Tsukasa peeped curiously in the dark, he saw that Leo hadn’t even heard him at all: he was peacefully snoring, hand splayed on his stomach, chest rising up and down.

_Unbelievable!_

Tsukasa rolled over to the other side of the bed, shutting his eyes tightly. Even if he’d always been used to big spaces ever since he was little, now they just felt empty without Leo next to him. 

Was he really the only one who couldn’t wait for the touching ban to be over? 

*

The next morning, Tsukasa felt something tickling his cheekbone. 

_A mosquito?_

With his eyes still closed, he swatted his hand in the air until it hit something solid, too solid to be an insect.

“Ouch! Suo~, it’s me!”

Tsukasa snapped his eyes open and found Leo next to him, lying on his own side of the bed. The very faint light coming through the window and the fact that Tsukasa’s alarm hadn’t gone off yet, suggested it was very early in the morning.

“Leo-san!” Tsukasa exclaimed, using the same hand he had accidentally slapped Leo with to cup his cheek tenderly, rubbing the pain away with his thumb, relishing in the thrill that meant he was finally allowed to touch Leo again.

Leo relaxed but he was still pouting. 

“I’m sorry.” Tsukasa apologized sincerely.

“It’s okay." Leo said, his pout curling up in a grin. "I forgive you!” 

Seemingly in a really good mood, Leo pressed a quick smooch into Tsukasa's palm that was caressing him and Tsukasa suddenly understood what had tickled him before: Leo’s lips were everywhere on his face, kissing Tsukasa on his forehead, on his eyelids, on his cheeks, on his nose, on his lips, on the corner of his mouth and chin, stealing spontaneous giggles out of him.

“I thought I was going to die!” Leo muttered amidst the waterfall of kisses.

“You can’t die from lack of kisses!” Tsukasa protested, but he was holding tightly onto Leo’s shoulders and responding enthusiastically to the onslaught.

“I can!” Leo insisted, “I can’t stand not kissing you anymore, I don’t care if I die!”

Tsukasa laughed because he knew Leo was just acting ridiculous for the sake of amusing him: the last two weeks proved he was definitely capable of keeping his distance to keep both of them safe.

“I care,” Tsukasa said, holding Leo’s face in place, fingers combing the strands of red hair that for once weren’t restrained by the ponytail, and tried to put his immense love for this man in his eyes, using all the gentlemanly charm he was capable of: “Please, live a long and fulfilling life with me, Leo-san.”

“This little!” Leo barked, but Tsukasa could see the phantom of tears swim into his tender gaze, “Are you proposing to me now?”

“Yes,” Tsukasa chuckled again. “Your answer?” 

Tsukasa kept up the irreverent, cocky tone and smiled into the deep, passionate kiss he was swept in after that, shivering like a leaf shaken by the wind when Leo whispered “ _Yes, Tsukasa”_ into his ear, tearing apart every last bit of distance between them.


End file.
